Britpop Guitar Heros.

Bellycaster · October 2013

Discuss.

I think Bernard Butler is class and this is a great song, although in a different guise from Suede.

I genuinely miss the Britpop era, there was a real Buzz from 93 - 97. I guess I fell lucky being the right age at the time.

Bernard, to me, is one of many unsung Guitarists of the time. There are too many of them about.

It sometimes seems to me that the Media, notably the BBC, has almost washed it's hands of everything except the most OBVIOUS Britpop era sons.

It was the greatest success in British music for 30 years at the time and has now been reduced to some Shit "Motorway Service Station Compilation C.D" by the knobs who decide playlists.

Shame on them.

I call for a tribute to the Britpop/Britrock generation.

Are you "Mad For It" ?

Longtallronnie · October 2013

I grew up in the britpop era too and will always look back fondly on those years.

Skin from Cast is a great guitarist who rarely gets any praise.

Richard Hawley's work in the Longpigs.

Gaz Coombes of Supergrass.

Steve Craddock.

Graham Coxon.

All were very influential for me.

bigjon · October 2013

Adam Devlin from the Bluetones was the one who particularly impressed me at the time

RocknRollDave · October 2013

Bellycaster said:

It was the greatest success in British music for 30 years at the time

?!

axisus · October 2013

I never warmed to Britpop at all. I was more into flashy guitarists at the time. I think I'd appreciate that stuff a lot more now as I eventually tired of widdle.

RocknRollDave · October 2013

ICBM · October 2013

I hated 'Britpop' as a genre, although I did like a few of the bands - all at the arty end of the spectrum - Suede, Pulp, Blur and a few others. I actually thought this was more what 'Britpop' meant originally, but it got lumped in with all the dull and annoying guitar bands who were a big reason I got into dance music in the 90s.

not_the_dj · October 2013

Suede we're great (first two albums anyway avid the third was ok but downhill from there). Never saw them live though, but I did see a McAlmont/Butler gig. Loads of bigsby wibbling from Bernard.

skay · October 2013

Although not strictly classed as Britpop but from the same era, John Squire from the Stone Roses was one of my favourite 'Guitar Heros' who could move his fingers around very quickly on the fretboard.

I loved the Britpop era as I was in my late teens when it all kicked off, plus playing a Noel Gallagher lead guitar break was as much as my talents allowed at the time, so i'm glad to have been around at this time in music history as opposed to the technical 80's where I wouldn't have stood a chance against those widdly widdlers :-)

Britpop became a parody of itself by the late 90's and kind of ruined the memories for a lot of people it seems, but from only reading about your favourite obscure indie guitar bands in the Melody Maker or hearing them on the John Peel radio show to then seeing them appear on TOTP and various Saturday morning shows and hearing them played on daytime radio a couple of years later, was initially so exciting and I think this massive change of popular culture that took place is sometimes sadly forgotten.

badlydrawnbanjo · October 2013

I watched the new Stone roses DVD, made of stone last night. It closes with a 10 minute version of fools gold from Heaton park. John Squire is riffing all over the place. Mesmerising stuff.

Bellycaster · October 2013

RocknRollDave said:

Bellycaster said:

It was the greatest success in British music for 30 years at the time

?!

@RocknRollDave

I think what I meant by that was at the time (IN THE 90'S) it was a long time since "Guitar driven 4 piece bands" were King. I always thought the era harked back to the 1960's. There was a certain nostalgia for the 60's surrounding the period.

Sure, we had The Smiths and TheThe etc in the 80's and Punk in the 70's, but I think the Britpop era was "Bigger" than those. In reality, it all probably stemmed from the "Real" Indie bands who were going in the 80's.

The 90's music was the complete antithesis to what was "Commercial" in the 80's, but like I said above even the Britpop craze was probably just the "Commercialisation" of Underground "Indie" music.

There was a lot of Cross-Genre type bands who were hard to categorise as being solely Britpop or Britrock or Indie. Bands Like Dubstar and St. Etienne I quite liked too.

All I know is I enjoyed this era a lot.

mudslide73 · October 2013

Coxon was/is incredible. Simple stuff on the surface but wondrous on closer inspection. Stephen Street rates him more highly than Marr.... which is enough for me.

dindude · October 2013

I saw Butler at Glastonbury with McAlmont way back when, his playing was utterly incredible. And yes I too will always have a britpop soft spot.

skay · October 2013

Agree, he's an interesting and innovative guitarist, shame he seems to get overlooked due to his Britpop tag...

Deijavoo · October 2013

Bashing out a wee Oasis tune on a Yamaha acoustic guitar in music class did wonders towards getting blowjobs in the school bushes.......I'd imagine.

Demonstrating the latest Morbid Angel or Dream Theatre transcription, less so.

JookyChap · October 2013

Totally agree on Bernard Butler, absolutely brilliant. Saw Suede as the Drowners came out and he was like a puppet on speed. The second album was orchestral by the end. Not Brit pop but Terry Bickers with House of Love and then more so in Levitation, was another one that was amazing at the time but seems to have been painted out of history. The Real People were another band that were crazy good live but didn't seem to make it and Oasis stole their clothes in a big way.

It was a good time though, but it's like every era - the 60s only had the Beatles and the Stones, punk was just the Pistols and the Clash, Brit Pop was Blur and Oasis. Bite sized chunks, end of tale.

skay · October 2013

Deijavoo said:

Bashing out a wee Oasis tune on a Yamaha acoustic guitar in music class did wonders towards getting blowjobs in the school bushes.......I'd imagine.

Demonstrating the latest Morbid Angel or Dream Theatre transcription, less so.

Ha ha, reminds me of a fantastic holiday in Malia Crete in the late 90's where a hotel lobby rendition of Champagne Supernova on a borrowed acoustic guitar proved very popular and payed dividends :-)

Deijavoo · October 2013

Personally I'd shake Noel's weak and slow hand.

redrighthand · October 2013

Bernard Butler and Johnny Greenwood were my heroes of the time.

These say it all:

Fretwired · October 2013

Longtallronnie said:

I grew up in the britpop era too and will always look back fondly on those years.

Skin from Cast is a great guitarist who rarely gets any praise.

All were very influential for me.

He's currently in Robert Plant's band [the Sensational Space Shifters] playing Led Zep covers and blues.

Deadman · October 2013

Let's not forget the less famous 'Marion'. I thought they were great:

breakstuff · October 2013

Was a big fan back in the day.I truly believe it was the last big 'scene' in this country.I was born in 1970 and since then we have had glam rock,disco,punk,the emergence of heavy metal and all its sub genres,new wave and electro,rap,rave and probably quite a few others that I can't remember off the top of my head.
I can't think of anything significant since the demise of Britpop other than the rise of the 'talent' show acts orchestrated by the likes of Cowell and co even though these probably can't even be considered part of a scene.

breakstuff · October 2013

Sorry,forgot Grunge.

RocknRollDave · October 2013

Deadman said:

Let's not forget the less famous 'Marion'. I thought they were great:

Great call! Agree with this. I even bought their second LP, and there aren't many people who can say that!

Deadman · October 2013

So did I, in a little shop in Port Stanley of all places!

Deadman · October 2013

What about best looking bird of Britpop? I'd have to say the lass out of Salad (particularly when she wore black leather trousers) or Echobelly (Asian looking and cute).

I thought the rhythm guitarist from Elastica was well fit too.

ICBM · October 2013

Louise Wener. (Sleeper)

stickyfiddle · October 2013

I was an Oasis kid but too young or couldn't get tickets until 2004 when they'd gone off a bit.

And I much prefer Coming Up over the Butler-era Suede stuff.

The key about that era for me is that song were about songwriting over flash. There were a huge number of bands with forgetable albums but one or 2 great singles.

And not to forget Paul Weller's wild wood and Stanley road stuff. Absolutely his best work IMO.

skay · October 2013

That's reminded me of another thing I liked about the Britpop bands, it wasn't all just 4 blokes in a band, there were plenty of girls that you could have posters of up on your wall :-)

My favourite mixed sex band (ha, as if that's a NME reader poll category) was Linoleum, although i'd never suggest they were Britpop, but they were a british band with a hot singer and some killer songs around the same time. Shame they split after their guitarist left to join Elastica, hmm there was a lot of band-hopping in this era!

ICBM · October 2013

stickyfiddle said:

And I much prefer Coming Up over the Butler-era Suede stuff.

Same here - and Head Music and A New Morning. I still like the Butler-era stuff but I have to admit I find him a bit annoying.

stickyfiddle said:

And not to forget Paul Weller's wild wood and Stanley road stuff. Absolutely his best work IMO.

I'm maybe showing my age here but he's never come close to anything he did in the Jam. His solo stuff has always sounded like old-man's music to me - when I first heard Sunflower on the radio (not very clearly I have to say!) I actually wondered if it was something new by Clapton.

Deijavoo · October 2013

Absolutely agree about the Coming Up Suede.

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